People who carry a purse, backpack, luggage, attaché, etc. (hereinafter “handbag”) often have difficulty finding acceptable storage for the same at a restaurant, for example. More specifically, it is desirable to keep one's belongs in close proximity while dining to prevent or deter theft. One simple way to accomplish this goal is to place the handbag on the floor adjacent to one's chair, which may be undesirable as the often expensive handbag may be damaged or soiled. Alternatively, one may place their handbag on the table, which reduces space available for food and drinks. Some other individuals choose to dine with their handbags on their lap, which is cumbersome and uncomfortable.
Devices, also known as “hangers”, for associating a handbag from a table are often foldable and stored within the handbag when not needed. Generally, foldable hangers include a member for engagement to a top surface of the table and a downwardly disposed hook that receives a strap or handle of the handbag such that the handbag rests underneath the table, out of view and off the floor.
The configuration of handbag hangers has not changed in a number of years, as evidenced by a comparison of U.S. Pat. Nos. D300,882 and 4,194,714 with U.S. Pat. Nos. D435,733, D517,732 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0161570, which are incorporated by reference herein. The handbag hangers of the prior art have many drawbacks in that they are not additionally equipped to engage a top edge of a vertical surface, for example, a door or wall of a bathroom stall. More specifically, often there is no convenient place to engage the handbag hangers of the prior art to a bathroom stall, which forces an individual to place their belongings on an often soiled and germ-ridden floor.
Thus it is a long felt need to provide a foldable device for selectively associating a handbag with a horizontal and/or vertical surface, such as a table and a door, respectively.